Table of Contents

South Africa Superstitions and Folklore

A profile of the folklore, legends, proverbs, and superstitions of South Africa

Highlights of This Profile

Ever wonder about strange behavior? Understanding the fears, myths, taboos, proverbs, legends, and folklore specific to will help you get a handle on all kinds of cultural oddities. Superstitions have the potential to affect everything from government, politics, business, public life, family life, travel, and social conduct. Understanding them can prove advantageous for what travelers and business professionals might expect and how they can approach or prepare for their foreign counterparts in and from South Africa. You'll avoid potential faux pas, get familiar with local customs, and educate yourself about what people are doing and why.

This colorful report provides a deeper look at an array of lore that includes anything from spirits, ghosts, monsters, urban myths, old wives' tales, occult practices, and luck charms. It takes selected major superstitions, legends, and folklore of South Africa and discusses their origins, their stories as told in the country, and associated traditions. It also includes proverbs and sayings unique to the country.

Find out how superstitious South Africans really are and learn about their taboos and fears, both old and modern alike-anything from good and bad luck charms and actions, holidays such as New Year's, numerology, money, birth and pregnancy, weddings, death and dying, maladies, animals, food, house and home, colors, and more. Not only is it fascinating, it'll give you something to talk about.